They say that emotion is the rudder of thought. Perhaps that's why schools are increasingly embracing the integration of social-emotional learning and student well-being into their programs. Not too long ago, families engaged in heated debates about schools dedicating time within the academic program for social-emotional learning. Some ambitious students and their parents perceived this as an unwarranted diversion from rigorous academic pursuits, while others believed this was a key to student well-being and success. Fortunately, we've made significant progress since then, and research now confirms that tending to the emotional facets of teaching and learning is not just essential for mental health but also vital for academic advancement.

Like many educators, I’m really excited about recent neuroscience research and what we can learn from it regarding teaching and learning. Relatedly, I have been reading, Emotions, Learning and the Brain: Embodied Brains, Social Minds and the Art of Learning by Mary Helen Immordino-Yang. Extensive research with students by Immordino-Yang, an associate professor of education, psychology, and neuroscience at the Brain and Creativity Institute and Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California and the Founding Director of CANDLE (Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning, and Education), has unveiled the inseparable connections between a student's perception of their role in education and the effectiveness of their learning and development. 

According to Immordino-Yang, adolescents who can connect personally with and craft meaningful narratives around the content they're learning tend to make greater cognitive strides compared to those who do not. She also asserts that this emotional bond with the educational process extends to teachers. Those educators who integrate their own senses of self and purpose with the teaching and learning process, who emotionally invest in their work, tend to be more effective and build stronger connections with students.

Immordino-Yang argues that emotions cannot be extracted from the learning process and questions the conventional metrics of cognition, such as IQ, which have limited utility as predictors of brain development and personal growth. She underscores that deep thinking and learning are impossible without emotional connection. She critiques the traditional mindset that attempts to motivate students through external rewards like grades, test scores, and college admissions, and highlights that these outcomes-based measures fail to establish the necessary emotional connections for profound learning. She, therefore, urges educators to contemplate how they can create environments that foster more genuine meaning and relevance around the content they teach.

Further, while learning skills and content is a component of education, Immordino-Yang contends that this is far from the sole purpose of schooling. The real and overarching purpose of education is personal development—the ability to grow and engage more profoundly with information, systems, and the people around us. Additionally, and of great importance, is acknowledging how important this social-emotional approach is in the context of the burgeoning youth mental health crisis; reframing our perspective on education as a means to help students discover meaning and purpose in their learning can serve as a powerful tool for promoting overall well-being.

At AES, we are excited to be both tending to students’ social-emotional growth and their abilities to find personal meaning and purpose in their learning. Within just one year, we have elevated the Director of Activities and Athletics position at the School and given the position a seat at the Senior Leadership table with academics and support services, dedicated resources to a new Director of Student Support Services position responsible for the social-emotional learning of our students, integrated service learning units at each grade level of the School, and created an alternative pathway to graduation for high school students—for those interested in pursuing personal passions instead of the IB Diploma. Among existing programs at the School, these changes should help our students continue to reach their fullest potential.